Saturday, 31 October 2009

The European Empire has commissioned consultants to investigate VAT fraud in member states so it can crack down on evasion and increase its budget.

It's a little known fact that VAT is collected in member states on behalf of the European Empire. The UK Treasury is allowed to keep 25% of what it collects as a commission. VAT makes up a big chunk of the European Empire's "own resources" budget - taxes the EU imposes on us using national governments as tax collectors.

The European Empire's consultants in the UK estimate that about £1 in every £6 of VAT due is not paid because of fraud. Across the empire, it is estimated to be €1 in every €8 and in Greece it is believed that 30% of VAT is evaded.

The reports will be used to invent even more taxation rules. HMRC's tax manual currently runs to, I believe, something like 7 volumes roughly the size of a telephone directory.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

A Tory referendum on the Lisbon Treaty would be futile, says Simon Heffer, but politicians can't hide from the real question forever.

I know it is bad of me, but I had hoped Tony Blair would become President of Europe. The prospect of his goading and provoking a possible Tory government for a few years seemed irresistible: not least because it might have been the final straw needed to convince the Tories about just what a lost cause Europe is.

The Lisbon Treaty is a great betrayal of the British people. The Labour government's reneging on its promise – made by Mr Blair – to hold a referendum on the matter will stand as the most unprincipled and dishonest act in our politics since Ted Heath took us into the Common Market nearly 40 years ago.

The notion that the treaty as it now exists is materially different from the original document vetoed by the French and the Dutch – the excuse given for breaking the promise – is preposterous. Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the former French president who drew up the document, has said as much. So we have lost more of our sovereignty, and our democracy has gone into reverse, thanks to a blatant act of deceit by Gordon Brown.

Dave has made all the right noises about being unhappy with this, and I don't doubt that he is. However, short of the nuclear option – asking the people not whether they like Lisbon, but whether they think we should stay in or get out of the European Union – there is absolutely nothing he can do about it. Lisbon cannot be reneged upon without reneging on the Treaty of Rome itself. Once ratified by the Czech Republic, Lisbon will be consolidated into the original treaty. So any talk of post-facto referendums is simply drivel, and that is why Dave has not committed himself to one.

The other bad news for him is that Europe threatens to become a toxic issue in his party once more. On the one hand, the ratchet effect of Lisbon will lead to further cessions of sovereignty over the next few years without any consultation with Westminster: at which point the fundamentally anti-democratic nature of this process will become even more apparent. The Right of the Tory party will become more and more angry. Our ability to govern ourselves will diminish.

We shall be especially aware, I expect, of an EU foreign policy (especially if it is executed by little Miliband, with or without his banana) that is done partly in our name, but which may well be at odds with that of Her Majesty's Government. However, at every bellow of rage from the Eurosceptics, there will be loud, attention-grabbing rebukes from federalist dinosaurs such as Lord Heseltine, "Chris" Patten and the rest. It has always been a boil and, believe me, one day it will have to be lanced.

Still not quite grasping how bad things are, some Tories say they will seek a referendum anyway on the need to have a renegotiation of the treaty. Apart from being expensive, this would be futile. We know the result already. And when Dave, armed with a mandate from that small fraction of the electorate that could be bothered to vote in such a pointless exercise, told Europe he wanted a renegotiation, Europe would tell him to get lost. It may take two to tango, but it takes all 27 to reopen the Pandora's box of rebuilding the EU constitution. The other 26 simply won't do it.

For good measure, the completely undemocratic Commission is on the record as having said there will be no inter-governmental conference for at least 10, and possibly 15, years, because Europe has had enough of them.

Which brings us back to the only question, therefore, that it is meaningful to ask: do we stay in, or do we get out? Dave wouldn't dream of offering to ask it now. But one day he, or a successor, will simply have to.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

The Lib Dims managed to cling on to the Huntingdon North seat in Cambridgeshire in a by-election yesterday.

The Tories took a vacant seat in the same district last year but the Lib Dims managed to replace the outgoing Lib Dim councillor with another one last night. UKIP doubled their vote share from the by-election last year to come third behind the Tories and in front of Liebour.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

Thursday, 29 October 2009

The European Empire has agreed to give the Czech Republic an opt-out from the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in an attempt to back Vaclav Klaus into a corner and get his signature on the Lisbon Treaty.

Despite the Czech Constitutional Court still considering a legal challenge to the Lisbon Treaty, the meeting of EU leaders this week will be pressing ahead to decide who they will crown as President of the European Empire as if the result of the Czech Constitutional Court's decision is either a forgone conclusion or an irrelevance.

So if the European Empire is happy to "prejudice" the decision of the Czech Constitutional Court by openly discussing the appointment of an EU President, why won't Dave Camoron "prejudice" the decision by telling us what he's going to do when Vaclav Klaus signs the Lisbon Treaty and the EU Constitution is forced on us?

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

Wednesday, 28 October 2009

The European Empire is targeting mobile phone companies again, this time proposing the harmonisation of mobile broadband frequencies to allow easier roaming and a wider reception from mobile phone masts.

Now, I don't have a problem with the suggested harmonisation per se and I would welcome - as I'm sure most people would - improved reception for mobile phones. But this will cost mobile phone companies millions, perhaps billions of pounds and it is the customer that will pay in the long run. And I have yet to figure out what harmonisation of mobile broadband frequencies has to do with a common market.

We've already had the one size fits all enforced price cuts on roaming charges which benefit only a tiny minority of English people as we spend much less time in EU countries than people on the continent do and the cost of that has been passed on to customers in the form of longer contracts and higher costs for extras.

Mobile phone companies will no doubt be all for a harmonised mobile phone system across the continent because it will be cheaper to maintain and administer and ultimately increase the opportunity to make money out of more people but they will want to do it on their own terms and more importantly, as a company with shareholders, they'll want to make money out of it. EU interference will force mobile phone companies to adopt a solution they might not want at a time the EU dictates and on terms the EU decides.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

The future of Walsall’s historic outdoor market has been secured following intense campaigning from traders and UKIP MEP Mike Nattrass.

Walsall Council’s Development Control Committee has approved plans to move the market from the Digbeth area of the town to The Bridge much to the delight of stallholders.

In June, Walsall Council scrapped proposals to part privatise the market following backlash from shoppers and traders and a campaign spearheaded by Mr Nattrass for the plan to be ditched.

This week, traders have expressed their relief and joy that the move to the prime site on The Bridge has been approved.

The market will be situated initially on The Bridge for a year and the success of the move will be assessed by the council when the twelve-month period comes to an end.

Karen Sands, from Walsall Market Traders Association, said: “We are absolutely ecstatic that the move has at long last been approved.“It will secure the future of Walsall Market and I know it will help boost trade in the town.

“It is a win win situation and the move has been four years in the making. I would like to thank shoppers, councillors and Mike Nattrass for their support.“We have safeguarded the market for the people of Walsall. This is great news for the market and the town,” she added.

Tuesday, 27 October 2009

The Czech Constitutional Court has delayed its judgement on whether the EU Constitution/Lisbon Treaty violates the Czech constitution until at least the 3rd of November.

According to the BBC, the Czech Constitutional Court has received more petitions in the last few days which may have had a bearing on the delay.

The Metro says that if the Czech Constitutional Court rules that the EU Constitution/Lisbon Treaty isn't incompatible with the Czech constitution it will be a blow to David Camoron's hopes of holding a referendum after the next election. The Tory Shadow Europe Minister (shouldn't that be EU Minister?), Mark Francois, once again refused to say what the Tories would do if the EU Constitution/Lisbon Treaty was already ratified by the time of the next election on Newsnight last night. The Tories - and David Camoron in particular - have no desire to hold a referendum, they're a eurofederalist party.

And will the regional administrators of the European Empire (or Presidents and Prime Ministers as they still like to quaintly call themselves) still be choosing their EU President and Foreign Minister despite them having no legal basis until the EU Constitution/Lisbon Treaty is ratified? Of course they will because the word "no" doesn't feature in the European Empire's vocabulary.

If the Czech Constitutional Court rules against the EU Constitution/Lisbon Treaty then they will instruct their Vichy government in the Czech Republic to change the law. If the Czech Constitutional Court finds in favour of the EU Constitution/Lisbon Treaty and Vaclav Klaus refuses to sign it then through their Vichy government they will engineer a coup against him and install a eurofederalist sockpuppet in his place who will sign it.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

Since Richard Barnbrook was elected as a BNP member of the London Assembly last year, his impact has been almost nil. Those worried about the raised platform now being given to Nick Griffin would do well to take a look at the case of his colleague on the London Assembly, Richard Barnbrook.

When he was elected amid much hand-wringing last year, we were repeatedly warned of the threat that he would bring to the democratic process in London. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside City Hall to mark his arrival and politicians and members of staff all warned of a boycott of the BNP man. Boris Johnson said that he would not speak to him directly, and even reportedly drew up a "coping strategy" to deal with the Barnbrook threat. So overblown did it become, that for his first meeting in the assembly, a one-chair gap was placed between him and the other members.

Yet for all the media fuss kicked up in those first few weeks, Barnbrook's political impact since then has been remarkably close to nil. He entered City Hall with big promises to sweep the "nonsense of political correctness" from London politics. Yet apart from being told off for eating a banana, taking photographs of himself in silly outfits, and being suspended for inventing murders, Barnbrook's year has been a complete non-event.

At Mayor's Question Time he is reliably useless. His questions are so long-winded, and his wit so slow, that he will often use up all of his allotted time before the mayor is even able to answer him. His press releases (all three of them) have been completely ignored by London's media, and his one attempt to organise a rally of the city's youth resulted in not a single young person turning up. Like Griffin, he has appeared on BBC discussion shows but, unlike Griffin, his appearances have all gone completely unremarked. And after all that hard work, the BNP's vote in London actually went down at this year's European elections, from the level needed to elect him to City Hall.

And as the hopelessness of their Great White Hope has dawned on BNP supporters, they too have gradually drifted away from their one-time star. His assistant and cameraman Simon Darby has now left him for Brussels, and his band of supporters are now rarely to be seen within City Hall. His once-regular YouTube videos appear to have finished, and his campaign to become MP seems highly unlikely to take off.

So, as the nation rises in indignation after Griffin's appearance on Question Time, we should all think again of the sad case of Richard Barnbrook. Because, ultimately, there is a reason why the BNP still only gets 6% of the vote nationally, and it has very little to do with the lack of publicity for the party and its views.

Monday, 26 October 2009

I am honoured to be proposed and seconded by two of our recent "Gold Medal" recipients, both stalwarts of our party who have played an essential role in our success. I am also grateful to the hardworking grassroots members across the UK who assented to my nomination. These people reflect my candidature.

UKIP is now a force in British politics and credit must go to Nigel Farage. It is a loss to our party that he never led us into a General Election campaign. Many of you will know that I have made every effort to seek a change of heart from him with my petition but to no avail. I was not in favour of a leadership campaign so close to a General Election.

I have been urged by many across the country to put my name forward to debate the future direction of the party, essential in the light of recent developments and proposals.

History

I became involved with UKIP after the Tory treachery of Maastricht. Volunteering in the European elections of 1994 I subsequently became a member in 1996.

I have been a Branch Committee Member, Branch Secretary, Branch Chairman, Regional Committee Member, Regional Chairman, Head Office Manager, NEC Member and Party Secretary.

I have stood in local elections, two General Elections, one European Election and now find myself as an MEP!

I have also two years' political experience in the US campaigning for a member of Congress and also on the Californian "recall" procedure with its subsequent election of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

This year, I put all my skills and experience into being the Campaign Manager for the West Midlands, winning a third of the seats and securing UKIP's highest vote increase.

Principles

I seek unequivocal withdrawal from the EU. Reform is not and can never be an option. To promote freedom and liberty for the individual that would encourage each person to develop independence and responsibility. I believe in equality of opportunity and treatment for all under the rule of law. I loathe political correctness and positive discrimination.These are not just words but the passion that drives me forward in my work representing UKIP and my country.

UKIP - the way forward

The time has come for a fresh approach and a debate on the future of our Party. UKIP is the only vehicle to take our country out of the corrupt and doomed mess that is the EU. We must not rest on our laurels but continue with all our muster against the Euro-federalists. We need to take a critical look at our party and not be afraid of the changes needed to take us forward. UKIP started as a grassroots party. This is a principle we should never forget. No member should be left behind in our fight. This party has far too many ex-members. We need a united front to defeat our enemies.

Finally we are in the centre ground of British politics, no longer thought of as an offshoot of the Tory party. The European Elections cemented this by UKIP winning outright in Labour heartlands such as Stoke-on-Trent, Dudley, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Plymouth, Hull, Hartlepool and Sunderland. We did not win one single Conservative heartland.

We must consolidate this and expand our message across the political spectrum. Polls show that our cause now has majority support. We need to claim that support, not restrict ourselves once again by being seen as a Tory splinter group.

Besides our message, our great asset is Nigel's ability to articulate our cause. As Leader I would retain Nigel as our lead spokesman. Nigel has already indicated he is willing to do this.

A major change needed within the party is communication, administration and policy making. The recent Court of Appeal decision which means that, due to a simple administrative error, we may have to pay over £360,000 into government coffers, underlines our need for improved professionalism in the party.

Our administrative office in Devon does a fantastic job. However, we need investment in the regions to supplement our branches. Our infrastructure has not grown with our electoral success and if we don't heed the need for change it will be the biggest obstacle to us achieving real success.

Our internal communication leaves a lot to be desired. Ideas such as a "letter database" whereby all letters by members published in newspapers/magazines across the country can be accessed by other members and used in their area - Simple, free and effective. WE NEED TO BE DOING THIS!

The Party Leader and officers need to be available to members by regular meetings in their region on a regular basis. Members deserve regular newsletters. I promise all this.

In short, I believe my organisational and administrative ability, coupled with Nigel evident abilities, can harness the improvements we need to take us forward.

Sticky Issues

Under my leadership UKIP will never be part of a pan-European party. Under Article 191 of Nice, these parties aim to assist further EU integration. I could not believe my ears when I heard the proposal that we should join one. I am proud that I was one of only two UKIP MEPs that spoke and campaigned against this recent proposal.

It is 10 years since we first sent MEPs to Brussels. The intent of UKIPs 1998 Conference (which allowed elected MEPs to take up their seats) was to make the MEPs work for the Party. There is a tendency for it to be the other way round. The Party needs to be able to be powerful in its own right, democratically controlled by you, the members. We MEPs are privileged to fight the cause on your behalf and are there, politically and financially, to further that cause.

Being an MEP

Being an MEP allows me use of substantial resources to represent you as Party Leader. For example, my 15,000 miles' travel allowance will permit me to travel across the country promoting the Party. I have members of staff to assist me. I have a professional fully-equipped office in Birmingham, financed by my allowances, and only five minutes away from the BBC and ITV studios. To qualify for these allowances, I need to spend, on average, three and a half days a month in Brussels/Strasbourg. The rest of my time will be here, in the UK, and I commit to spending my time touring the country, promoting UKIP, to give us the best chance of electoral success.

Since being elected an MEP, I have committed a third of my net salary to the Party. I have edited and paid for 100,000 newspapers to be distributed by West Midland branches. A further 500,000 are planned, with some going to the North East and Scotland where UKIP does not yet have MEPS. I am financially supporting and attending Freshers´ Fairs at universities to further our message. I have a full website, including a page on transparency, at www.yourmep.org which is regularly updated. Take a look to see what I did in my first 100 days as an MEP.

What others say

"Nikki has been with the Party since it was set up in 1993 and has worked tirelessly in every capacity including MEP. She is an excellent administrator and will prove a worthy successor to Nigel Farage." Sonya Porter, Founder member and leading activist

"I have known Nikki since 1999 she gives 110% to UKIP and to getting us out of the EU. She has proved herself and no doubt will prove to be a good leader" John Botting, PPC & Chairman, Maidstone

"I could not think of anyone better than Nikki to be Party Leader. She has the grassroots level of this Party in her heart and will always listen to the thoughts and wishes of every member" Sam Sutton, Hampshire Organiser

"Nikki is the only candidate I trust to increase our support and profile amongst the whole of the electorate in this time of change" Ray Finch, PPC Eastleigh

"Nikki is an experienced veteran of UKIP, who relishes the challenges of trying to take the party over from UKIP's greatest leader Farage. This will truly be her greatest challenge." Ramsey Urquhart, Branch Secretary, Glasgow

"Support Nikki, the only candidate for leadership, with the determination and vision to succeed." Ron Nixon, UKIP Mansfield

"I happily declare my full support for Nikki's bid for leadership. To me, she will take the party in a modern, progressive direction and that is something I wholeheartedly endorse. With Nikki as leader, UKIP can only go forwards to greater success" Jacob Ellett, Young Independence activist

Contact - Further Info

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, or to express your support. Contact me at 123 New John Street, Birmingham B6 4LD or telephone free 0800 1577916. Email Nikki at nikki@ukip.org

And Finally

My loyalty and support for the cause and UKIP is absolute.

I will continue to work tirelessly for our cause as Party Leader, or support the person you choose.

Although I understood his reasoning, I deeply regretted Nigel's decision to step down as leader. Sadly my efforts to get him to change his mind, publicly at the conference and privately, have been to no avail.

I had to think long and hard before putting my own name forward to lead UKIP. I knew that were my bid successful, I would be committing to an indefinite period of hard work and would have to forgo directorships and other interests. However I also realised that any sacrifice would be trivial compared to those made by Nigel Farage over nearly two decades. Dauntingly, I would also find myself successor to the most eloquent politician in the land.

Initially I declined to volunteer because I lacked ambition to lead a political party. But I believe passionately in my country and in the democracy and freedom which so many generations have fought to win and defend, often at terrible cost, all now being sold out by a selfish and deluded generation of gutless professional politicians.

In the end it was the sheer persistence of many UKIP members and donors who said that it was my duty to offer myself to my country's service. I suppose that is arm-twisting UKIP style!

So what can I offer you?

Perhaps I should start by telling you what I am not. In a party with 13 MEPs I am not an elected politician. You must consider whether that is or is not a virtue. It does mean that I am available in this country, without the continual distraction of continental travel. Certainly I am well placed by my seat in the House of Lords to articulate our case. It is, of course, Westminster where these great issues must eventually be decided.

That I am not a professional politician may be no disadvantage in an age when our political class is widely despised. My background is in international insurance. I would like to think that habits such as delegation, training and financial discipline might be useful in the necessary reorganisation of a party whose power and influence has outgrown its infrastructure.

There is one particular area where I feel I should be able to contribute usefully. With the likely implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, these are perilous days. We are desperately short of time if we are to save our great country. This means we have to rapidly recruit and train a large force of people dedicated to national survival. To this end we need to cast a broad net and my contacts with the wider Eurorealist movement could prove very valuable. Along with David Willoughby de Broke in the Lords, as well as through my activities with Global Britain, I can lay some claim to having rare contacts throughout the movement. I hope that I enjoy some respect from people as politically diverse as Lords Stoddart and Tebbit and with others less well known but with considerable financial assets and patriotic dedication. As far as I know, I have no enemies within UKIP and remain on good terms with many who have left us.

What of my political philosophy? I am essentially interested in conserving the British constitution against all who threaten it, most particularly from those "Traitors within the Gate", the British politicians who have betrayed their own people.

It is rare for a new party to survive long in British politics. UKIP has stood that test of time and changed the political agenda singlehandedly. Our recent success must now be turned to maximum advantage.

We must develop the quality of our candidates and activists. This requires training, with experienced campaigners helping those who have yet to cut their political teeth. This has to be backed up by activity manuals and informative literature. As someone who has provided (I hope useful) publications such as "What is the point of the European Union?" and "BETTER OFF OUT" I may have something to offer here.

We have speak to the British people in straightforward language. Against the background of the country's financial crisis, we must show how leaving the EU is positive, invigorating, vastly enriching; in short everything to be welcomed and absolutely nothing to be feared. Hand in glove with this goes the promotion of binding national and local referendums. Only thus can power be returned to the people from the political class in Westminster and Brussels.

UKIP policies should be short and incisive and targeted to emphasise what can only be achieved by leaving the EU. They should also be selected to embarrass the old parties by showing how their political correctitude has left them out of touch with the basic common sense of real people. Examples abound: Their refusal to entrust us with education vouchers or to insist on work permits for foreigners; their failure to maintain our borders and their appeasement of militant Islam.

My ambition is for UKIP to do well enough in the General Election to trigger a revolutionary realignment of British politics. In place of our current 'one party state', with all the older parties blindly deferring to the EU, we desperately need a new and genuine Opposition. Already many Conservative MPs and most of their activists are with us. Many decent Labour and Lib Dem supporters are also getting the point.

Our priority, which cannot be overstated, must be to maintain our aim of an amicable divorce from the European Union. My slogan is "Friendship and Free Trade only." Anything and everything we do must be directed to this end and nothing must compromise this objective.

We now have a growing majority of the British people who share this view and a monopoly, amongst the moderate political parties, in expressing it. This is an electoral gold mine.

I shall feel honoured and humbled if you elect me to lead what is the noblest cause in British politics today. But whoever is elected can rely on my full support.

In 1964 he founded the PWS Group of international insurance brokers, which went public in 1984 and was sold to the THB Group in 2008. He is now Hon. President but is willing to sacrifice that position should he become leader of UKIP.

During 1975-82 he was the main protagonist in the "Savonita Affair" at Lloyd's of London, when his refusal to collect a fraudulent claim led to reform at Lloyd's, and a new Act of Parliament.

From 1984-90 he actively promoted freedom in the Soviet Union through financial and other assistance to dissident groups.

In the period 1983-92 he represented commerce on the Council for National Academic Awards, Britain's largest degree awarding body, which validated the courses in our Polytechnics (Universities since 1992). He joined with Baroness Cox and others in fighting far left control of Teacher Training, Social and Media Studies, etc.

In 1984 he founded the Rannoch Charitable Trust, which has funded such things as refugees from Communism in Europe, various human rights initiatives, research into British state education, the environment of the Scottish Highlands, free market economics and Islamic fundamentalism.

In 1990 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher raised him to the Peerage.

During 1991-97 he led several successful amendments in the Lords on Scottish environmental legislation.

In 1992 he received an Honorary Doctorate (of Laws) from Council of National Academic Awards, for services to Higher Education.

During 1992-96 he was a Member of the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Union, which led him to become a leading exponent of the case for the UK to leave the European Union.

In 1992 he became Hon. President of RESCARE -The National Society for Mentally Handicapped People in Residential Care, a subject where he has family experience.

In 1998 he joined with Lord Harris of High Cross (Independent) and Lord Stoddart of Swindon (Labour) to found "Global Britain", a non-party think tank, to research alternatives to UK membership of the European Union. (See www.globalbritain.org )

In 2004 he lost the Conservative whip for suggesting that people should lend their vote to the UK Independence Party, in elections to the European Parliament, and now sits in the Lords, along with Lord Willoughby de Broke, as a UKIP peer.

His many speeches can be here

His belief in freedom of speech and disregard of controversy was illustrated in 2009 when he invited the Dutch MP, Geert Wilders, to show his anti-Islamist film, "Fitna", in a press conference at the House of Lords. When Mr. Wilders was banned by the Home Secretary from entering the UK, Lord Pearson went ahead with the film and accused the British Government of appeasing Islamism. (Google: "Fitna" and "Geert Wilders").

For many years he has been an articulate critic of the institutional pro EU bias of the BBC and has personally invested in research, proving the case much to their discomfiture.

I do not approve of Lord Pearson's intended election strategy of making "the threat of radical Islam the major focus". This is the wrong approach to winning an election. It will automatically make UKIP candidates unelectable for its negative 'hate' message. Radical Christian Tony Blair, who went to war in Iraq on a lie and helped to kill thousands of innocent civilians, might be a better target. Let me make it clear that if Lord Pearson is elected as Party Leader I will leave the party after 13 years of service. He will lead us into the wilderness.

Our enemy is the EU and I will have a 'Manifesto for Government' of the British for the British.

Most importantly, the anti-EU parties in UK have to work together rather than splinter the vote. I am already in discussion with others outside of UKIP to explore where all anti-EU people other than BNP can work together for the benefit of the 'cause'. The BNP have hijacked the anti-EU cause and we have to show the people affected by EU immigration policies that its the EU and not ethnicity or religion which is the problem.

You can phone me on 07748 197 996 - 8am - 10pm only please.

UKIP LEADERSHIP ELECTION 2009

CANDIDATE - ALAN STEPHEN WOODCEng MSc MIMechE

WHAT IS THE KEY TO LEAVING THE EU?

WESTMINSTER HOLDS THE KEY

1. UKIP is not a pressure group but a party fighting for government, for only through representation at that level will we succeed in our aim of leaving the EU. To do this we need to show the nation that we have the strength in depth and the worldly policies to form a credible government

2. People considering voting for UKIP ask what we will do for them outside of the EU. Our job is to convince them that there is a 'far better future' out of the EU with UKIP, who could ignore all the EU directives that blight our lives.

As well as the merits of independence & democracy, and the freedoms it brings, we have to be proactive and offer policies that are close to their hearts and pockets on jobs, homes, children, parents and health, education, pensions, crime, the economy, and 'green' issues.

We may feel aggrieved because so many of the public (and even the Queen) do not respond to our pleas to save their sovereignty and freedoms. They do not vote for us for a multitude of reasons. Solely banging the drum on Sovereignty & Freedom is not enough to persuade many voters to vote for us. We have to accept that our election manifesto has to appeal to a lot of different social groups.

3. In addition we need to state where we stand on the important matters of the day.

On Afghanistan where our troops are courageously fighting an enemy that is already within. On the economy, where reckless lending and borrowing means that we have lived beyond our means. Where we have sold off our strategic and manufacturing businesses to all-comers and have forgotten our engineering heritage and how it helped to make Britain Great. On educational standards which are reflected in ration-coupon certificates. On attitudes to excellence where equality and mediocrity is preferred. On 'Rights' madness and crazy 'elf 'n safety rules'.

We must offer a new broom.

WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED AT THE GENERAL ELECTION?

4. We are the major party insisting upon withdrawal from the EU so as to regain our nation and dispense with EU rules. The public agree with us, making UKIP second in the European elections and supporting many smaller anti-EU parties. Unfortunately, they still believe that the Conservative Party is 'eurosceptic', which drains our support.

5. Sadly, to our disadvantage, Westminster is occupied primarily by pro-EU MP's. The media, trades unions and commerce support the EU project. The Queen has not spoken out in her own realm. The 'First Past the Post' (FPTP) electoral system and media election rules heavily favour the Government and Opposition parties. The media will want to play this election as LABOUR v CONSERVATIVE or LABOUR v CONSERVATIVE v LIBDEM.

6. But, the expenses scandal has infuriated the public. Many well-established MP's will be leaving Westminster. The current government is unpopular. EU directives have antagonised the public.

The public agree with SAY NO the EU, to its pro-EU MP's expenses at Westminster, to the lack of a Lisbon Treaty referendum. So, we have to add the extra dimension of positive manifesto policies for them to SAY YES to UKIP.

7. Historically, 2/3 of the seats do not change hands. However, records are there to be broken and anything is possible this time. MP's expenses have started the possibility of a rebellion by voters. If we go about this election with new strategies and tactics we can win many seats. There may be a hung parliament where UKIP hold the balance of power. Anything can happen!

8. As there is barely a cigarette paper between the pro-EU parties they are equally worthy of our disdain and disgust. We pose a threat to their seats, especially in the marginals, and need to adjust our tactics to suit each seat.

9. I have already mentioned the public's antipathy to the EU and the MP's but a manifesto with the sole pledge of a referendum would fail.A general election is not a referendum or "a referendum for a referendum" and whether we like it or not the public support political parties at a General Election for a multitude of factors.

10. It is essential to capture public imagination early to enable a campaign to gather steam. I have always recommended that we draw attention in our literature to the LINKAGE between EU directives and the results they cause - like the wrecking of Royal Mail. LINKAGE is now one of our biggest weapons - the longer that the EU rule us the more ammunition they give us.

11. The anti-EU vote in the European Elections was spread over many parties, some of whom were formed very recently. There has to be a reconciliation of the non-racist anti-EU parties. I would seek a coalition with other parties.

12. Nigel Farage has cleverly shown one way of winning a seat - to challenge a vulnerable MP and concentrate resources on getting out one's message.

Our MEP's already have the profile to contest other suitable seats, together with the advantage of an MEP salary. How ironic that the EU could be helping us to win in Westminster!

13. This government will be removed if opinion polls are to be believed but it is not a foregone conclusion as to where the balance of power will lie. We need to make it UKIP.

THE FUTURE

15. Our Branch structure is the future, supported by the MEP's and our new MP's. We have to build the party further from the bottom up with more resources to Branches.

UKIP members need to be in Parish and Town Councils to support their community and gain the trust of the public. It is possible to win District Council seats. It is a lot harder to win a Unitary Council seat. But we can win with the right tactics in 2010, 2011 and later years.

WHY SUPPORT ALAN WOOD?

a) Should UKIP become a 'Europarty'? I declare that this must be a decision made by the members not the MEP's.

b) My election expertise and strategies will benefit the General Election campaign.

c) I will try to bring the non-racist anti-EU community together.

d) My achievements and background relate to most social classes. It will help to gain the trust of floating voters. We must not allow ourselves to be unfairly painted as the extreme right wing of the Conservative Party. e) My Civil Service and Local Government experience, professional knowledge and project management skills, particularly in the GREEN issues of energy and conservation, will be assets for the party.

f) As a pensioner I also appreciate the problems of the grey voter.

g) As a councillor I understand the problems of the genuine poor and needy.

h) One policy I will insist upon is abolition of the Council Tax system and its replacement by a fair system of local taxation.

UKIP CV

SUPPORT TO PARTYLoyal supporter since 1996 to all party leaders.

REGISTERED PARTY NOMINATING OFFICERSince 2006 all UKIP Deputy Nominating Officers for UK elections and Regional Agents for European elections have received certificates at my expense.

Married to Jane for 43 years. Adviser to wife and sister-in-law who are joint directors of a family property company.

Grammar school educated and became a management apprentice in Portsmouth Royal Dockyard. Won a scholarship to The Royal Naval College, Greenwich. Awarded an honours degree in Mechanical Engineering. MSc awarded by Loughborough University.

Any member is entitled to attend one or more of the hustings provided you present a valid, up-to-date UKIP membership card.

So who will Bloggers4UKIP be backing? The short answer: nobody. The long answer: members of the Bloggers4UKIP team are close to and/or personally backing different candidates so, in the interests of maintaining harmony, I have made an editorial decision that there will be no promotion of any of the candidates.

All of the candidates are, of course, welcome to keep us updated with their leadership campaign.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

The Tories won the by-election pretty convincingly with 58.3% of the vote. Liebour trailed behind them with 18%, followed by UKIP with 12.3% and the None of the Above PartyLib Dims languished in last place with 11.4% of the vote.

A Tory victory wasn't exactly a big surprise although it's always disappointing when one of the eurofederalist LibLabCon wins an election. But the result is encouraging - third place, in front of the Lib Dims and not a million miles behind Liebour.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

The eGov monitor reports that the Northern Ireland Assembly voted for a motion on Tuesday by 47-19 in favour of the UK holding a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, and calling on "those parties aspiring to form the incoming Government of the United Kingdom to give an unequivocal commitment to hold, within a twelve month period from assuming office in 2010, a binding referendum on the Lisbon Treaty that is unconditional and unrelated to how other member states choose to vote, and the result of which will not be held in abeyance pending a further referendum on the subject."

Thursday, 22 October 2009

BNP leader Nick Griffin was caught lying again yesterday over his controversial decision to wear a poppy. He had refused British Legion pleas not to sully their highly respected symbol and vowed to carry on untill wounded Soilders in Birmingham Selly Oak Hospital no longer had to pay to watch telly. But the MOD chiefs ALREADY pick up the bills.

Wednesday, 21 October 2009

Last week Nick Griffin was forced to accept that the BNP cannot lawfully refuse membership to non-white or non-"British" people. A court ruled - using a bill that isn't a law yet, it seems - that the BNP isn't allowed to refuse membership to non-whites even if it means allowing members that don't subscribe to the party's aims and objectives. Expect a concerted effort to flood the BNP with muslims some time soon.

A new anti-BNP group has been formed by the Tories who are presumably jealous of Liebour's anti-BNP far left extremist groups, Unite Against Fascism and Searchlight. This new campaign group has done a sterling job of keeping the BNP in the news by publishing a letter written by former military commanders calling on the BNP to stop using wartime imagary because it gives the military a bad name.

And now a new version of the BNP's membership list has been leaked on the Wikileaks website, prompting yet another investigation by the Information Commissioner. A number of people on the list contacted by the Telegraph were at great pains to make it known they were no longer members of the BNP and most seem to have said they were only members for a short time.

It's commonly accepted that the security services have moles in the BNP - they wouldn't be doing their job if they didn't. The Liebour Party will undoubtedly have its own moles in the BNP (where they would be more easily camouflaged as fellow left wing extremists). The British government knows that it doesn't have any legal grounds to ban the BNP so it is instead using both legal and illegal means to try and put them out of business. The same is true of UKIP, where the British government is trying to bankrupt the party using the corrupt Electoral Commission as a sockpuppet. The trigger in both cases is electoral success that threatens to relegate Liebour to electoral irrelevance and challenges the established LibLabCon doctrine of unfettered immigration, eurofederalism and national shame.

The thing with the BNP is that most of their members have joined either because they're racists or making a protest at the LibLabCon. Most of them couldn't name a BNP policy other than "immigration" and "sending th darkings back home" and most of them couldn't argue their way out of a wet paper bag. Let them have as much publicity as they crave because if you give them enough rope they hang themselves and the more rope they have, the more hangings there will be. The "no platform" policy hasn't worked, nor has denouncing them as bunny killing right wing nazi's (socialism is left wing, not right).

The only way to undermine the BNP is to take away the reasons why people support them in the first place - restrict immigration and leave the EU. This is what most people want and this is why people are voting for the BNP. Unfortunately, the LibLabCon aren't going to listen so the only way to stop the BNP is by voting UKIP who will restrict immigration and take us out of the European Empire but don't have policies of forced repatriation of non-indigenous people, restricting freedom of the press and forcing anyone wanting to take part in English politics to have a DNA test to prove their anglo-saxon descent.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

Well done to Michael Crick for pointing out the differences in the way the LibDems and UKIP are treated with regard to what it the BBC considers to be iffy donations.

Fairness from the BBC!

Iain Dale has also covered this - and has received some interesting replies to his "Spot the difference(s)":

Case A: Alan Bown gave a political party £363,697

1) It was his money
2) He had a business trading in this country, making him eligible to donate money
3) He was not on the electoral register when he donated although he was the year before, and also the year afterwards.

Case B: Michael Brown gave a political party £2.7m

1) It was not his money, he had defrauded it
2) His business was not trading in the UK, so therefore he was ineligible to donate money
3) He was not on the electoral register; neither was he the year afterwards, nor the year before.

Monday, 19 October 2009

As reported in the media today, the Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of the corrupt Electoral Commission and ordered Westminster Magistrates Court to change its ruling that UKIP only has to forfeit £18,481 of the £363,697 in impermissible donations received from Alan Bown.

The donations were found to be impermissible because Alan Bown was mysteriously removed from the electoral register without his knowledge and only put back on when he found that he wasn't on the register. Under a law designed to prevent foreigners from donating to UK political parties, donors who give more than £200 to a political party must be on the electoral register at the time of the donation to be legal.

The Electoral Commission insisted on a full forfeiture of the £363,697 but UKIP opted to go to court where the magistrate ruled that it was a genuine administrative oversight and ordered that only £18,481 be repayed. The Electoral Commission appealed and today the Court of Appeal ruled in their favour.

The Court of Appeal's judgement doesn't mean that Westminster Magistrates Court has to order a full forfeiture and there is always the option to appeal. There are certainly good grounds to appeal - the Lib Dims were found to have taken £2.4m in donations from someone not on the electoral register (who is currently in prison having been convicted of fraud) at around the same time but the Electoral Commission chose not to pursue them for the forfeiture of their impermissible donations.

UKIP is a relatively small party, punching above its weight and embarrassing the LibLabCon. The Electoral Commission is a corrupt quango and sockpuppet of the British government. Going after UKIP and ignoring the Lib Dims is contra bonos mores - so unfair that a reasonable man would never come to the same conclusion (see Wednesbury Unreasonableness).

The ironic thing is that the ultimate court of appeal is not the new "Supreme" Court (which isn't supreme at all) but an EU court and UKIP's continued existence as a party may lie in the hands of the corrupt, anti-democratic super-quango that it is trying to undermine.

In UKIP's 2008 accounts, no provision was put aside for the forfeiture because Alan Bown pledged to underwrite it as he accepted the blame for not being on the electoral register. If he still intends to cover the cost of the forfeiture - estimated to reach around £750k with costs - then there are going to be a lot of very disappointed UKIP hating politicians and civil servants looking for a new way to try and do away with the thorn in their side.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

Saturday, 17 October 2009

The Czech resident, Vaclav Klaus, has capitulated to the EUSSR, saying that it is only a matter of days or weeks until he has to sign the Lisbon Treaty/EU Constitution.

Once he has signed the Lisbon Treaty and it is ratified, a new country called the European Union will be created with its own president, foreign minister, diplomatic service, police force and military. And once it's signed, we will no longer be allowed to leave the European Empire without the unanimous agreement of every member state and a two year "cooling off" period.

There is only one way out now - to leave the EU. The Tory policy of "reform from within" is not an option, leaving the EU is the only way to remain an independent country. There will be no more EU treaties because no more treaties are needed - Lisbon is self-amending.

I only hope the Tories enjoy what little power will be left to national governments once Lisbon formally establishes the primacy of the EU government and that all those "eurosceptics" who put their party before their principles and voted for the LibLabCon can live with their consciences when President Bliar announces the loss of the UK's seat on the UN security council and the deployment of EU troops on our streets to supress dissent.

The only way to keep our independence is to leave the European Empire and the only way that's going to happen is with UKIP MPs in Westminster.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

Friday, 16 October 2009

UKIP had a terrible result in the Cannock Heath Hayes local by-election yesterday, finishing last.

The None of the Above PartyLib Dim candidate won with 314 votes, closely followed by the Tory candidate with 300. The Liebour candidate got 267 votes and the BNP candidate 116. The UKIP candidate finished last with just 51 votes.

Finishing last is a disappointment, especially with half the votes of the BNP candidate. But the BNP have been getting a lot of free publicity lately with Nick Griffin's invitation to appear on BBC Question Time and they were all over the news yesterday thanks to the court ruling that they have to allow non-whites into their membership (a court ruling based on a law that hasn't been passed by Parliament yet, how does that work?).

The blame can't be placed solely on the BNP's publicity but it will have played a big part in the result - both in terms of the BNP sympathy vote they always attract when the establishment cracks down on them and the increased turnout for LibLabCon voters to make sure the BNP don't embarass them.

Edit: From someone in the know ! UKIPs result here completely reflects our effort (which was about a 10th of the BNP) so in theory this is a bigger disappoint for the them. For a party who canvassed the whole ward , leafleted twice and drafted in 22 memembers serval times from Birmingham, Wolverhampton and the Black Country the BNP will be hugely disappointed.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

Thursday, 15 October 2009

The EU-sponsored anti-UKIP blogger, Junius, has quoted a now deleted post at the similarly anti-UKIP blog "True UKIP" claiming Jill Seymour has thrown in the towel with UKIP.

The Junius version of recent events is - as with pretty much every bile-filled piece of EU propaganda on his blog - based on a dodgy dossier compiled by EU moles.

Jill Seymour was offered a job by Nikki Sinclaire MEP after the election. Jill took the job and resigned from the NEC because the party rules ban NEC members from taking paid employment by the party. Jill subsequently resigned from Nikki's staff, partly because of personal differences, but mainly through illness. She is considering standing for election to the NEC again in the next round of elections.

Has she abandoned the party? No. Was money (or a supposed lack of it) anything to do with her resignation? Hardly. Junius' researchers at the EU obviously aren't very good at their job because it's hardly the best kept secret that the Seymours are considerably better off that your average UKIPper - a brief look at the list of donations to the party will tell you that. In her own words, she only wants a job that pays her phone bill - pocket money.

Jill is still very much involved with UKIP and running the election campaign for two PPCs. The general rule of thumb with anything written by JunEUs is take it with not so much a pinch of salt but more a sack full and this is certainly no exception to that rule.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

Wednesday, 14 October 2009

MANSFIELD'S only elected Conservative politician has quit the party to join the UK Independence Party (UKIP. District councillor Nick Bennett and life-long party supporter Philip Smith, chairman of Mansfield Conservative Association, have decided to switch to UKIP — saying they feel let down by the Tories' stance on Europe.

They were set to notify party officials about the move last night, who they believed knew nothing beforehand of their plans to quit. Coun Bennett (31), who has been a district councillor for two years, said: "All parties at the moment seem to not be giving a clear message on Europe.

"I have been a Conservative since I was 18. I feel heartbroken that I have had to make this decision.

"The Conservative conference has done it. The party is letting us down. We are not getting clear leadership from them. I have thought long and hard about this.

"I say we should have a full referendum about whether we should be in Europe or out of it.

"I want to be out of Europe. It stinks that the British people are not being allowed to have a referendum.

"There's only one party that are actually giving any clear guidance and giving the best policy on the issues. I have made the decision to go to UKIP — they have the guts to have their say on European issues.

"I don't think it's necessary to stand down from the council. I represent people really well in Berry Hill ward.

"They know I represent honesty and I have respect for them. I don't think they would want me to stand down." He said: "It really has been a heart-searching experience. It is one of the saddest decisions I have ever had to make, but it is something I feel really strongly about.

"The EU is an extremely costly organisation to this country with no discernible benefits. We don't need all this red tape.

"Immigration is something high up on people's agenda. I am not racist.

"We hear much about protecting our borders from illegal immigrants but anyone from the member states can come here anyway.

"I am not objecting to people coming here if they are going to help with our economy, but we are a small island and there's a limit to how many people we can support, regardless of their nationality." David Hamilton, treasurer of the North Nottinghamshire branch of UKIP, said he was delighted the pair had decided to join his party.

"Being a new branch in Mansfield, we are looking to build the membership and especially with Nick and Philip having so much experience, we are hoping they can pass that on to us," he said.

Emperor Barroso has laid into Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, for not signing the Lisbon Treaty/EU Constitution.

Barroso said he expects the Czech Republic to "honour the commitment it has taken" and says "it is in the interests of nobody, least of all the interests of the Czech Republic, to delay matters further". He refers to "artificial obstacles" from the democratically-elected Czech president which, if I were a Czech, I would find extremely insulting coming from an unelected dictator who was hell bent on wiping my country off the map.

I think you'll find tens of millions of people will disagree with you on that your imperial majesty - tens of millions of people who don't want to live in a country called the EU and who have been denied a vote on it by their eurofederalist governments.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

According to the BBC, a "European commands space station". They are referring to the news that a Belgian, Frank de Winne, has taken command of the International Space Station.

But why refer to him as a European rather than a Belgian? Is the BBC trying to get ahead of the game for when the Lisbon Treaty changes the EU into a country?

De Winne has been sent to the space station by the European Space Agency and had this to say:

I have always been proud to be European and the Europeans of course have a big heritage as explorers; and so, therefore, for me, it is a big honour to be the first European to be a commander of the space station

Proud to be a European? How can you be proud to be from a continent? Countries have a history and culture and achievements to be proud of but a continent has nothing - it's a huge lump of dirt, it means nothing. Then again, he's Belgian so that might explain why he has more pride for the continent his country is on rather than his country. The most famous Belgians are a fictional detective with a dodgy mustache and a teenage cartoon detective with a dog which probably goes a long way to understanding why the Belgians have been the first to capitulate entirely to the European Empire.

There will be more of this when the Lisbon Treaty is ratified and the European Empire is turned into a country. The EU has claimed the word "European" as its own and it'll be speaking on behalf of the entire continent, including those countries that have managed to keep their independence, on the international stage. Sycophant media organisations like the EU-funded BBC will be using the word "European" more and more to refer to subjects of the European Empire.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

Saturday, 10 October 2009

The Polish president, Lech Kaczynski, has signed the EU not-a-constitution leaving only the Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, holding back the European Empire.

Czech Senators have lodged a legal challenge with the Czech constitutional court which should take up to 6 months but the eurofederalist Czech government is promising to fast track the case through the courts. Klaus is now saying that he won't sign the Lisbon Treaty until it is amended to exempt the Czech Republic from the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

It never ceases to amaze me how these Eastern European countries, who fought so hard to free themselves from the old Soviet Republic, are so willing to voluntarily enter into a new one.

It is unlikely that Klaus will be able to hold out intil the next election where the Tories will realistically have no choice but to hold the promised referendum. Whilst the EU not-a-constitution is pretty disasterous for our country, we should at least take heart in the fact that the Tories will be shown for what they are - useless eurofederalists who will do nothing to protect us from the European Empire - and people will flock to UKIP as the only party that will free us from European imperialism.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

Open Europe reports that Klaus seeks an amendment to the Lisbon Treaty (a leader in the Economist describes the Lisbon Treaty as "deeply shabby"). with regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which angers EU politicos as he will not specify the amendments he seeks. Presumably, he's playing his cards close to his chest so that the politicos cannot rubbish his bid or counter it with its usual obfuscations, half-truths, outright lies and cannot therefore discredit him.

The Times reports that Czech President Vaclav Klaus has demanded an amendment to the Lisbon Treaty, which could pose a further delay to ratification. Klaus is seeking unspecified guarantees on the Charter of Fundamental Rights - the declaration being incorporated into EU law by the Treaty.

Polish daily Rzeczpospolita quotes a Czech source saying, "We have expertise, which shows that in accordance with the Charter it will be possible to reclaim property rights in Czech Republic. We cannot allow judges from Malta or Spain, who know nothing about our history, to decide whether Sudeten Germans have right to their property."

The article notes that Klaus' move has sparked anger in other EU capitals, with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner saying, "We are not going to change the Lisbon treaty. It has been approved by the Czech parliament and by the Czech senate in the precise terms in which everybody has accepted it." Swedish Prime Minister and holder of the EU Presidency Fredrik Reinfeldt said, "I spoke by phone today with President Klaus. I told him this is the wrong message at the wrong time for the EU. I told him clearly it is his ink on the paper that counts, and I do not want this to delay the treaty going through as soon as possible." The Independent quotes Reinfeldt saying, "We need clarification on exactly what he is asking for...As I understand, it's linked to the Charter of Fundamental Rights. It's a footnote, but he didn't define it."

Meanwhile, after a series of contradictory statements over Polish plans to sign the Treaty, several newspapers report that the Polish President Lech Kaczynski will sign it this Saturday. The Polish President's Chief of Staff, Wladyslaw Stasiak, made the announcement on TVN24 yesterday: "The president will sign the treaty on Saturday at noon".

Update:

And if you think the EU is really concerned about "climate change", then why is it colluding with the logging industry to downgrade the protection of rain forests - which, after all, absorbs C02?

The Irish Times reports that the EU has been accused of changing the text of the current REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) agreement after lobbying from the logging industry. This means "[...] that the industry could continue logging old forests, accelerating climate change", said Greenpeace's forest policy expert, Grant Rosoman.

Unscrupulous in the extreme - money changing hands, no doubt, between politicos and loggers.

Tuesday, 6 October 2009

The regional grand committee for the east of England euroregion was a complete farce – hardly any MPs turned up to the meeting (not enough for a quorum so they couldn’t discuss anything on the agenda) and they spent 30 minutes of the 50 minute meeting debating whether to put the PA system on. The whole thing cost the taxpayer nearly £2m, the meeting in the West Midlands euroregion will also cost roughly the same amount.

This is El Gordo’s vision for the future governance of England but it’s certainly not mine. The protest will be at 6:30pm on Thursday the 8th of October at the Sandwell College campus in Smethwick.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.

David Campbell Bannerman MEP, UKIP’s Deputy Leader and Head of Policy, has announced that he is withdrawing from the UKIP Leadership race with immediate effect, to concentrate on completing a full set of party policy papers and on writing a radical General Election manifesto that offers the British people genuine and positive change.

Commenting on his decision, David said: "With the Irish vote and the dangerous Lisbon Treaty a step nearer, and the General Election right on the horizon, I believe it is in the best interests of the party, that I should stay focused on my work as Deputy Leader and Head of Policy, which includes the launching of our remaining policy papers and on writing the next manifesto - which is a massive and critical task. I also want to continue helping with the strategic direction of the party in preparing for the General Election and our bright future beyond it.

"Though I will work harmoniously with which ever Leader the members choose, I will be giving my full support to Lord Pearson of Rannoch as the next Party Leader. I have a great deal of respect for Malcolm's brave, principled and well argued promotion of our cause in Westminster. I believe he can very effectively highlight inexcusable Tory fudges over Lisbon and the EU."

"I would like to thank the great many members who have asked me to stand, and my hard working advisers. I hope they will understand that I have always put the best interests of my country and my party first. Although this has been a difficult decision, I do believe it is the right one."

Glenn Tingle, UKIP's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Norwich North will be making a 116 mile charity run from the War Memorial in Norwich to the Houses of Parliament at Westminster, beginning on Friday 9th October at 10.00 am at City Hall, Norwich and being completed on Monday 12th October, when the House of Commons returns after its summer recess. Mr Tingle will be highlighting the need for the War Memorial to be renovated extensively and which he regards as a matter of urgency because of its dilapidated state.

Mr Tingle said: “This is not the way to respect our dead who gave up their lives defending this country”. He will also be raising money for the “Help for Heroes” charity, which supports service personnel wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The idea came about when Mr Tingle was running in the recent Norwich North by-election, when he decided to run to London to take up his seat in Parliament, if he were elected. A keen marathon runner, Mr Tingle said: “Although I was not elected, the seed had been sown and I came up with the idea of doing the run anyway, to raise money for 'Help for Heroes' and the War Memorial in Norwich. As an ex-soldier myself, I want to do my bit for those who have made great sacrifices for this country.”

The run will take three full days and finish early on the 4th day when he will hand in a pre-printed sponsor form with EVERY MPs name on it inviting them to pledge a minimum of £100 each. This would generate around £65k. Mr Tingle added: “I think that its time our MPs showed their support for our brave men and women facing danger on a daily basis – and especially for those injured or killed – after all they, sent them there!”

Earlier this year, Mr Tingle ran the Genèva Marathon to raise money for Cancer Research. Anyone interested in sponsoring Glenn's Westminster charity run, should contact him on 07901-525052 or glenntingle@btinternet.com

UKIP West Midlands MEP Mike Nattrass, who is a member of the Transport and Tourism Committee at the European Parliament, has condemned plans by the EU which would allow huge lorries from the continent to use Britain’s roads. Mr Nattrass has this week joined the UK freight industry in expressing dismay at EU moves to push the 25.5 metre behemoths onto our roads despite the British Government banning them last year. “Once again the EU is doing what it does best – interfere,” he said.

“I am totally opposed to these giant vehicles being allowed on our roads. Britain has already said no to these vehicles in the past but the EU is ignoring our wishes again and is trying to plough on with their plans regardless. “The mega trucks would be fifty per cent longer than existing lorries and would be substantially heavier which would be more damaging to our road surfaces.

"Can you imagine the private M6 toll road, over which the Government appears to have lost control, welcoming these? "We should get trucks off the roads and use rail containers. This EU ruling is a major incentive to send freight in the wrong direction, the correct direction being by rail.

“The EU wants these so-called super lorries but Britain does not. Again we should all say a resounding NO to the EU, pull out of the European Union and make our own laws and policies in Westminster,” he added. In a press statement issued this week, Freight on Rail, (which is a partnership of freight operators Rail Freight Group, Network Rail, transport trade unions and Campaign for Better Transport), expressed their complete opposition to the mega lorries.

Philippa Edmunds, Freight on Rail Manager, said: “Large quantities of long distance freight can be more sustainably and more safely carried by rail, than in even larger lorries. “The reality is that, even though the UK Government voted against trials of mega trucks in June 2008, if Europe gives the go-ahead for cross border mega trucks traffic between member states, they will come to the UK by default, over time.

“The commissions’ own sponsored research showed that mega trucks are individually more dangerous than standard HGVs.” Freight on Rail added increases in lorry dimensions has resulted in more lorries driving around less full causing more road congestion and more pollution.

The Newcastle-under-Lyme UKIP branch are once again organising one of their successful barn dances which not only help to raise funds for the branch, which is one of our most successful branches in the West Midlands, but is a great night out too and lot of fun.

The barn dance, which is to be in Newcastle-under-Lyme on October 17th at 7.pm, cost £8 a person. Included in the ticket price is a pie and pea supper.

About the author:Stuart Parr is a UKIP parish councillor for the Brookside ward of Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council in Telford & Wrekin and the founder and administrator of Bloggers4UKIP.Stuart writes a personal blog Wonko's World and tweets as @wonkotsane.